NAFD petition response: Add death, dying and bereavement to the national curriculum
The Government has responded to the NAFD petition “Add content on death, dying and bereavement to the national curriculum”.
The opening statement from DfE as follows:
“Bereavement can be taught about as part of relationships and health education in an age-appropriate way. When we review the statutory guidance, we will assess whether content on bereavement is needed.”
The RHSE statutory guidance from the Dfe mentions bereavement once in the current 50 page document.
- Teachers should be aware of common ‘adverse childhood experiences’ (such as family breakdown, bereavement and exposure to domestic violence)
On average, 111 children in the UK lose a parent every day.
Talking to pupils about death can be really helpful for them. It’s important that we teach them about dealing with the loss of loved ones so they’re prepared for it now and when they’re older.
On the Funeral Directions website, we have included a new Parents and Teachers section to help with the education of young people at this difficult time, including an age appropriate definitions glossary, videos and with further resources to be published.
By giving pupils the tools to understand and cope with grief, we can help them navigate through some of the toughest moments of life.